


You're Gonna Be The One That Saves Me

by fries



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, based, harryandlouis, louisandharry, prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-03
Updated: 2016-03-03
Packaged: 2018-05-24 11:29:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6152242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fries/pseuds/fries
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU where Louis's got punk tattoos and skates and gets high at the park and thinks he's all that but his friend Harry kinda sees through that and although he wears flowers, for god's sake, he knows Louis's just a little flower, too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You're Gonna Be The One That Saves Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [yoonminsmofo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/yoonminsmofo/gifts).



> Just a small thing I did based on an adorable prompt from @ziallsmofo
> 
>  
> 
> *****

"Are you clocking out, Harry?" Ms. Walker placed the cut tulips into a glass vase and struggled to grab her giant purse filled with sewing materials and covered with faux daisies. 

Harry smiled and grabbed the bag from her and walked it to the opposite counter where she was going to bring it. "Yeah, I just found this recipe for wonton tacos on Pinterest last night, and I wanted to try to make them. Plus, I have a bit of homework to finish up for my night classes."

She smiled. "You're quite busy these days, huh?"

"Not too busy to come down here and help you out," Harry joked. He adjusted the small, pink flowers that matched his cheeks in his hair to fit perfectly in each section.

Ms. Walker watched him and laughed, petting his shoulder. "You're a blessing, Harry Styles. We need more people like you in the world." Harry's lips curved upwards and his cheeks tinted pink. "You wouldn't mind locking up tonight, would you?"

"Not at all. You just get home safe. It rained a lot today, and I don't want you to slip," Harry authoritatively called from the counter. 

The old woman fixed some flower bouquets and grabbed her bag as she walked out the door with a last goodbye and blew a kiss. Harry picked up the spare key and grabbed his backpack from behind the counter. He checked his phone with a floral print case for the time. 5:04 pm. He walked outside and locked the door. 

Harry has always known he was different from the other kids in his primary school years because while the other boys in third grade were staring at the girls playing with their Barbie dolls, he was sitting with the girls dressing up his brown, curly haired doll in all the bright colored dresses and skirts they had. As he got older, he tried to be more masculine and less feminine so his father wouldn't be upset or disappointed in him, but Harry knew who he was at heart. He finally figured out that he liked boys during High School when a gorgeous boy asked him to come to his house to play video games after school. Unfortunately, only half the night was spent without crying because the boy was very rough with Harry and forced him to do things that he wasn't comfortable with. Harry then sneaked away from the house and sprinted home, bawling his eyes out. Since then, he hasn't had another boyfriend, but he knew that he was attracted to men. He never paid any mind to his sexuality though because he never found anyone he would really want to date or cuddle with, but he's okay with that; he has his giant teddy bear at home for that.

As Harry walked down the street, he made a left towards his flat, but changed his mind when he looked down the opposite road and saw the most beautiful, vibrant roses he's ever seen on a bush of emerald. 

Automatically, he turned around and headed toward the park area where the flowers grew. 

***

The light breeze blew out the spark at the end of his blunt as Louis inhaled the fumes that made his head dizzy. His black leather jacket shielded his skin from the nippy air as he sat with his back against the oak tree behind him. The wind whistled into his ear as if it was scolding him, and he pulled his jacket tighter to him. He took out the lighter in his pocket and relit his blunt, sighing indifferently. The red and black checkered skateboard laying on the tree next to him fell over on to his shoulder and he shrugged it off. His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he pulled it out to check it. 

It's 5:04 pm and he's in debt with his drug dealer. 

He exhaled the fumes back into the air and watched as the kids played on the playground on the opposite side of the park. The little boy with a baseball cap was climbing the monkey bars while the girl in a pink, frilly dress swung on the tire swing. He thinks about when he was a kid and the world was new; this was a time in his life that he knew he had no problems to deal with or obstacles to overcome. Then he remembers that the world is a cruel place and the only way to have a good life is if you die early. There were never any problems when you were nine years old. The world was your oyster and you didn't have bills to pay, horrible people to deal with, or unemployment hovering over your head. When you imagined being an adult, it was always "staying up late" or "eating ice cream for dinner", but the world doesn't warn you about the terrors of getting old. 

But, aging is inevitable. 

He sat like that for another few minutes until he noticed a man with tiny pink flowers laced through the strands of his hair walk up to a rose bush, delight clearly consuming his face. The man touched a rose and admired it in an endearing way. He remained like that for a few seconds until his eyes looked upwards towards Louis. Louis gave him a cold stare.

It's not fair that some people can see good in such an awful world.

The boy next to the bush plucked a flower and started walking towards Louis. Louis' expression changed to almost fearful when he realized he was coming closer to him. He pulled on his jacket and kept a heartless look on his face before he rested his head into his arms on his knees.

"Excuse me," his low, silky voice vibrated. Louis lifted his head up and gazed at the boy towering above him. There were sparkles in his eyes amidst the emerald hue and his hair was lengthy and resembled melted chocolate. He noticed that Harry was studying his neck and hand tattoos that poke out of his black leather jacket. He felt eyes on the piercings on his face as well. The flowers in his hair were pink begonias, as Louis recalled, and they complimented his blushing cheeks perfectly, not that Louis is staring. "Hi. My name's Harry. Can you guess why I came over here?" Harry seemed jovial and anxious to see Louis.

"Can't imagine," Louis remarked sarcastically.

Harry's eyebrows furrowed. "Oh, well, I was looking at your face... and I saw this flower and... would I- can I maybe... put this flower in your hair?" His eyes are hopeful and bright, a strong contrast to the dark, gloomy look in Louis'. Louis sat with his mouth open for a second.

"Are you like five? Or is there something wrong with you?" Louis responded. Harry's entire expression fell to a disappointed, upsetting face you'd usually see from a child that just dropped their ice cream on the floor, and there was a tear welling up in his right eye. Great job, Louis.

The curly haired boy wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "Okay- I'll just- I'll go now," his voice cracked as he turned around to probably sprint away.

Only Louis is cold enough to make a grown man cry. "Wait, don't go. Come back," the boy's body turned back as Louis called out with sincerity in his voice. "Look, I don't really think before I talk sometimes. I didn't mean that." Harry wiped his eyes again. "I'm sorry."

The glossy tears rolling down Harry's face all had Louis' reflection in them, and that's what finally killed Louis. 

He's innocent. He doesn't deserve this.

"M'sorry I asked about the flower..." Harry mumbled and wiped a tear from his face with the back of his hand.

"Don't be sad. You can still... put it in my hair... if you want," Louis muttered and crossed his arms. The glow that was once there before returned to Harry's face, now five times stronger. 

Maybe Louis wasn't completely heartless.

Harry kneeled down on the floor next to Louis and placed the crimson rose in the side of his fringe. Harry stood up and walked backwards  a few steps until he could see the beautiful blend of deep red, fudge brown, and cerulean in his eyes that were lined with the most delicate eyelashes he's ever seen. Harry could've sworn he heard angels weeping above him. 

"You're... beautiful- I mean... no. I didn't mean that, but I did- shoot, was that weird?" Harry stuttered through his sentence. 

Louis sat with the cherry rose still tangled in his hair, flashing a reassuring half smile. "No."

Harry sat down against the tree on Louis' left side, a bit too close for comfort. The two boys sat in silence as the sun was setting over the horizon. 

"I just realized that I don't know your name," Harry broke the silence. 

Louis cleared his throat. "M'name's Louis." He started speaking in shorter sentences as to not hurt Harry anymore. Or ever again.

"Louis," the named rolled on the boy's tongue in the most satisfyingly deep voice Louis' ever heard with his own ears. "That's a wonderful name. Is it French?" 

"Yes, my Mum figured I would be a leader or something one day, either that or she was watching Princess Diaries and got creative," Louis spoke calmly. Harry, on the other hand, was giggling and laughing like Louis was a comedian. 

"Fat Louis the cat! I love that movie," Harry exclaimed. Louis lifted his blunt back to his face and inhaled once again. The motion made Harry's laughter die down. "You know, smoking takes years away from your life. You shouldn't do it," he tried to explain.

"This isn't exactly smoking, so it doesn't count," Louis defended himself. "Don't you have somewhere to be? The sun already set, so isn't it your bedtime?" He started getting annoyed again.

"Not really, I was just going home from work. I don't have much to do at home. My cat probably misses me, though," Harry shifted around in his space. "I guess I should go home then. Promise me you'll be here tomorrow at the same time?" Harry stood up and adjusted his backpack.

Louis sighed. "I promise."

"See you tomorrow, Louis!" Harry walked back towards his flat, and Louis was sat in silence again. He moved his hand to get off the floor and felt something soft beneath his fingertips,

A single begonia.

***

Harry couldn't stop thinking about the mysterious boy with the dark hair and light eyes. He laid back in his bed and stared at the ceiling wondering how this beautiful boy he met at the park could've become so... broken. That doesn't just happen- Harry would know. He's been broken for so many years now, and this isn't an overnight occurrence. Louis must've been through something traumatic that changed his outlook on life. Harry was determined to find out what. 

He set his alarm on his phone, shut off his floral print lamp, and tucked himself under the covers, his hair spread out beneath his head, while a certain boy ran around in his thoughts.

***

The next few weeks occurred in a basic cycle: Harry would go to work and right after, he would meet Louis at the park with a new flower to put in his hair every time. They got to know each other in harmless ways, like figuring out each other's favorite color and animals, but Harry still doesn't know why Louis acts in that kind of manner, but he decides to make a plan and pursue it tonight. 

"Guess what flower I chose today," Harry started with his hand held behind his back, holding the plant he would put in Louis' hair and swoon over while Louis smiles down at the grass below him.

Louis sighed out of fake exhaustion. "What did you bring?"

Harry's lips curved upwards as he moved his hand from behind his back. He held a rather large flower with bright gold petals and a fuzzy, brown center.

"I got a sunflower! I figured it would match your personality," Harry giggled. Louis couldn't help but smile as he leaned against the tree.

"Harry, it's lovely, but I'm not so sure that my personality matches that flower," Louis spoke.

"No, it does," Harry reassured. "The outside is bright and happy just like you."

"But I'm not bright and happy, Harry. My life is anything but positive. The only good thing in my life is the guarantee of death." Louis replied in a flat tone as he raises his blunt to his face.

Harry gasped at that. "Louis, how could you even think like that? You can't just live your life expecting death to fix your problems. You need to enjoy your time on Earth while you still have time to enjoy." 

Sadness suddenly washed over Louis' body as he looked away frowning.

"Louis..." Harry walked closer to the older boy. Louis slowly turned his head back. "You're not who you think you are. To me, I can see that you are a beautiful person with a wonderfully bright personality. These last few weeks that I've known you, I knew there was something else there. Something that you were hiding. That's the dark part of the sunflower in you. It's still a mystery to me, but you can show me! You don't have to be afr-"

"No! I can't!" Louis shouted and dropped his blunt. Harry jumped back, and the flower flew from his hand on to the grass. "Harry, why can't you understand that?! Why does everything have to be all rainbows and butterflies with you?! Don't you know that there's terrible, terrible people who do awful things and ruin the world for the rest of us? Life isn't some walk in the park where you find roses and playgrounds and happiness! You can't extract someone's deepest fears and secrets just by meeting them and smiling. That's not how the world works. You, somehow see this bright light in the earth, but I can't." Some people walking by turned to look and the kids on the distant playground paused. "I can't." Louis voice cracks, and he falls to his knees while tears start forming in his eyes. One by one, each warm tear hit Louis' fragile hands, and Harry remained frozen in his place, shocked and not knowing what to do. Louis' sobs are quiet for the most part, but Harry can hear his small hiccups and sniffles.

Harry walked slowly towards where Louis collapsed on himself and sat on his own knees. He ran his hand through Louis' hair before Louis grabbed his arm in a rush and pushed him away, causing him to fall in his back. "Louis-"

"Get away from me. I never want to see you again." Louis spoke coldly. Harry could've sworn he felt his heart shatter within him and fall to his stomach. He remained still. Louis jumped to his feet. "Get out of my life!" He grabbed his skateboard and backpack and left Harry lying on the grass heartbroken and alone. 

***

At this point, Louis' face became numb to the tears he shed to a point where he forgot what it felt like to stop crying. He sat in his living room where he threw his bag and his skateboard at a glass-framed picture and fell on the floor in complete emptiness and sadness. His body melted into the scratchy carpet, and he immediately curled into the fetal position. 

He lost it.

He lost the only source of happiness he had left. 

Harry was gone.

He knows that Harry must be crying now as well because he's a sensitive, precious baby that Louis came to adore. Louis fucks everything up. 5:00 pm everyday was his favorite time of the day just because this ball of sunshine entered his life with begonias in his hair one day and cherry blossoms the next. But, now he's never coming back to Louis; who would come back to someone who hurt them in the most horrible way? 

Not Harry.

***

Harry has never cried as much as he did when Louis left. He gripped on to the grass and let his tears fall freely into the soil and grass he uprooted. His world around him came crashing  down into an oblivion he never thought he'd have to face.

But here we are.

***

The next few days were the most depressive days Harry has ever felt in the flower shop. He leaned over the counter with his head resting on his palm and stared at the floor, no flowers decorating his hair. Everything in the shop reminded him of the reserved boy he met at the park (he can't look at a flower without seeing Louis' eyes and hair and lips and face-- his beautiful face). 

"Harry, you haven't said a word since you walked in," Mrs. Walker came through the doorway to the small office. "I was beginning to think you didn't show up."

Harry lifted his head. "No, don't worry, I'd never leave you here. I just had a rough week s'all," Harry tried to joke but sounded like he had no sleep in the last month. 

"Well," Mrs. Walker sat on the chair behind the counter beside where Harry stood, "They say that when you smile, your day can get that much better. Want to show me a smile?" Her wrinkled face looked hopeful.

Harry flashed his teeth and giggled. "Thank you, Mrs. Walker. You always know how to brighten my day." 

"Oh, don't make me blush, doll. Just promise me you'll show me that smile for as long as you can. I know times get tough more than anyone. I just got more prescriptions from the doctor, but I haven't let it bother me too much. Just keep your head up, dear." She reached up with her fragile hands for an embrace, and Harry leaned down and squeezed her. She let go and slid off the stool and walked into the other room. "Oh, and Harry?"

"Yeah?" Harry called.

Before she turned the corner, she looked into his eyes. "The white English primroses are in bloom; they would look lovely in your hair," she smiled and walked slowly out of sight. Harry grinned and walked over to the flowers, placing each one in his long, wavy hair.

***

Things definitely could be better for Louis. Laying on the ice cold bathroom floor surrounded by broken glass and pills isn't exactly a "good scenario" for a normal Tuesday night. Breaking the glass cabinet and letting all the pills fall with the shards seemed like a good idea at the time, but who could blame him? He's been trapped in a permanent eclipse with the light teasing him and making him go crazy and beg for it to come back. 

His phone from the counter vibrated, and he extended his cut-up arm to grab it. When he reached for it, he accidentally knocked over a glass of water and drenched his floor and counter with liquid. He cursed to himself when a bit splashed on his phone. He grabbed a towel and stood up, rubbing the phone dry. 

You fuck up everything, Louis.

He looked up at the countertop and saw a small flash of pink that pained his head.

A single begonia.

Except this begonia was almost completely dead and dried out. It was nothing like the one he picked up off the grass the day he met Harry.

Unfortunately, that's exactly what it was.

Louis' tear-stained face became flooded with sadness again. More tears threatened to fall, but then Louis' mind began racing.

This begonia has no choice but to die. It had a small chance of living, but that chance went away quickly because it was cut. But, Louis has the choice to keep his tiny pink flower.

He needs to keep Harry.

He needs his touch and his personality and his kind words and his stupid fascination for flowers that Louis secretly admires with all his heart. He needs his sweet rambling about what he's studying or what he found on Pinterest that morning. He needs his long hair with scattered flowers in it, and he needs his emerald eyes that sparkle like the sun's reflection on the ocean.

Louis needs Harry.

Because, Louis is in love.

***

One by one, Harry takes each newly-picked sunflower and cuts its stem at a diagonal angle. He places each one in a vase and puts the vase in a display window. 

He's gotten a little more used to the thought of Louis becoming absent from his mind, but he still feels his presence everywhere he goes like a ghost. He still sees his face behind every flower he sees. His blue green eyes and his disheveled hair are all he sees passed the vibrant sunflowers, and it makes Harry wish he was with him.

Except, the Louis behind the sunflowers is real.

Harry gasped and ran closer towards the window to see if he was dreaming. He pressed his hands against the window. "Louis?"

Louis was squatting down to eye level with the sunflowers. "Hi, babe."

Harry sprinted to the door and whipped it open. He stopped abruptly before he got too close to Louis. "Wha- what are you doing here?" Harry tries to ask calmly while he's slightly out of breath.

Louis stares at the cracks in the pavement. "I realized that I didn't want to lose the only positive thing in my life, so I came to get it back. Would you ever forgive me for how I acted?" He looked up at Harry with his cerulean eyes.

Harry was in complete shock. He'd spent the last week getting over him, and he was so close to earning his happiness back. Every night, he cried himself to sleep. Why would he ever come back to him?

"I don't know, Louis," Harry crossed his arms. 

Louis sighed. "Look, I know I acted stupid and completely awful towards you, but that's only because we started getting into a sensitive topic. I don't really tell anyone about my past because no one's ever asked. I'm sorry, and I think I'm ready to tell someone. I was really hoping that someone could be you." Louis gazed into Harry's eyes.

Harry felt something, but he pushed it away before he knew what it was. He crossed his arms in mock anger. "I'll only forgive you if... you let me put a sunflower in your hair."

Louis' expression changed to a brighter emotion, and he laughed. "Okay, if that's what it takes." Harry darted back into the store, Louis following behind slower, and picked up the nearest sunflower, breaking off most of the stem to make it fit in Louis' hair. Louis leaned forward and awaited Harry's gentle touches on his face as he closed his eyelids. Harry ran his fingers through Louis' hair, rubbing his scalp a bit with the pads of his fingertips, and placed the flower on the right side of his head. Harry picked up his other hand and made the same gentle motions through his hair on the opposite side. Louis' eyes opened, and he stared slightly upward at Harry's mouth, which was opened slightly. His lips were a lovely shade of Persian pink, and the small visual of his tongue looked like candy to Louis. 

"Harry, I want you to know that I never meant to hurt you... I just..." Louis trailed off. Harry's emerald eyes sparkled in Louis' view. 

"It's okay," Harry breathed.

Louis sighed. "When I was 14 years old, my dad... passed away, and all I had was my mum and sisters. We were what you would call a 'broken family'. It was a rough time in my life; I felt like I lost my purpose. I just felt... empty." Louis paused. Harry nodded for him to continue. "My friends at school started experimenting with drugs and alcohol, and they just seemed so carefree and relaxed, so I tried it to take the pain away. It worked for a while, but then I got addicted. I had to be taken to the hospital twice. My mom was tired of having me around my sisters and setting the wrong example, so she casted me off. Now, I live on my own, I changed everything about me, and I tried to be someone I'm not." 

Harry's expression was somewhere between melancholy and surprised. "Louis, I'm so sorry."

"No, you didn't do anything. It's not your fault." Louis looked at the wall behind Harry covered in pale green floral designs. "I've never told anyone that before."

"How does it feel?" Harry asked.

"Warm." Louis raised his arm up to let his fingers lace through Harry's lengthy brown hair and leaned in closer to his face, playing with one of the flowers in a long piece of hair. Harry remained still. Louis' body kept slowly inching closer to Harry's until their lips were ghosting off one another's. Harry closed his eyes and sharply inhaled as Louis pushed forwards until both their mouths were connected. 

Harry felt like his entire body went numb and he was just standing in space, kissing the most beautiful boy in the world. Their lips moved in a rhythm similar to a slow-paced waltz. Harry's arms moved down to around Louis' waist, and he pulled him closer, feeling protected in Louis' embrace. 

Louis separated their lips and opened his eyes. "Was that okay?"

Harry reached up and adjusted the flower in Louis' hair, eyes tearing up. "I didn't know that it could feel like... that." He rubbed his eye.

Louis breathed, "Feel like what?"

The first tear rolled down his face. "Safe."

The taller boy hugged Louis' smaller frame and held on for dear life, and Louis ran his fingers through the younger boy's hair. 

Louis got his happiness back.

***

"Lou, did you put the blue hydrangeas on display in the window?" Harry watched Louis from the counter as Louis lifted a box full of roses to the table beside him.

"Harry, why must I do all the work?" Louis complained.

Harry smiled. "Because you look adorable when you're holding flowers."  
He paused. "And your butt flexes when you lift heavy objects."

Louis looked appalled. "So you can't help me because my bum looks nice when I do work?" 

Harry nodded. "It's distracting."

Louis walked over to Harry and leaned over the counter to peck his lips. "You're distracting, love, more than I am."

"Okay you two, enough with all the kissing and cuddling and whatever you kids do these days. We've got work to do," Mrs. Walker came around the corner and patted Louis' shoulder. Even though she seemed annoyed, the smile on her face gave away her jovial expression. 

Louis kissed every inch of Harry's face in the 10 seconds he had until he got back to work. "Louis! Lou, that tickles!" Harry exclaimed. Louis ran to the opposite side of the store, his white t-shirt with short, black sleeves blowing slightly in the little gust of wind he created.

"Lou?" Harry called across the store. 

Louis turned around for a split second before he crashed into the table and spilt all the contents of the box on top of himself on the floor. Harry didn't know whether to laugh or be concerned, and he sprinted over to the mountain of hydrangeas.

He dug through the flowers until Louis' face appeared. "Don't say a word." Louis tried to growl. Harry giggled and dug up Louis' hand to squeeze. Louis couldn't help but smile at his boy. He held Harry's hand and yanked him into the flowers with him. "I love you, babe."

Harry giggled and snuggled closer to Louis in the flower bed. "I love you, my sunflower."

***


End file.
